I am thrilled to report that I will be returning to Cambodia for the third time this fall! I am grateful to be part of the Fallen Sparrow mission team and serve alongside people I have grown to love and admire over the past three years.

The Fallen Sparrow team will be working with the children at New Life Orphanages of Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Bantey Meanchy. Pastor Vek, a native Cambodian, has created a new kind of orphanage to bring stability, love, and the hope of Christ to the children of Cambodia. The children at New Life Orphanages were orphaned, abandoned or uncared for by their parents. They are brought in and given care for both their material and spiritual needs; Pastor Vek prepares them with pragmatic life skills for adulthood, as well as help them know and grow closer to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. His mission is to grow these children into a generation of Christian leaders who can help their country heal and rebuild.

An afternoon with the girls 2016

While in Cambodia, our team will create a fun, relational youth camp to teach the children about God, build friendships with them, and, most of all, show them that we care. Our Fallen Sparrow team, along with all of the children of NLM orphanages, will gather in Phnom Penh for this time of encouragement and development.

Free time with a few of the children 2016

Meet Hong and Huon, two brothers that I sponsor from the Phnom Pehn orphanage. These precious boys were dropped off at the orphanage the week we arrived in Cambodia in 2015. They instantly won my heart and I am counting the days until I get to be with them again!

Photo with Hong & Huon taken in Cambodia last summer.

The video below shows Hong and Huon teaching me how to count to 20 in Khmer.

Fundraising is absolutely critical in order for our team to plan activities, as well as purchase food and supplies for all 70+ children there. Personally, I am responsible for financial support in the amount of $3,600 to cover the cost of this mission.

Would you consider partnering with us by contributing to my fundraising efforts? All donations are 100% tax deductible and a gift that could change a parentless child’s life forever. For details visit purecharity.com
Thank you in advance for your consideration, your continued prayers and generous financial support.

If we want to live life to the fullest, we must choose to be a person thats seeks to see “light” . Look for the good things in the people we love and the world around us. The world is full of those who gripe and complain, feel that somehow they have been “cheated” out of what they think they deserve. In a nutshell, be a “glass half full” kind of person.

This morning I read Matthew chapter 6 as homework for the current online Bible study from Proverbs31, Finding I Am. The exercise asks that we look to the words in chapter 6 and ask ourselves two questions:

How can what I am reading right now be daily bread to me?

How can I make the words of Jesus in this chapter part of who I am and maybe even, redirect the way I live?

One of my favorite scriptures, Matthew 6:21, sheds light on a crucial requirement a person must adhere to if they desire to live a life that brings joy and light to the workd around them.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Although I love that verse, it was the verses that follow that captured my attention this morning:

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! -NIV

The Message version states it this way:

22-23 “Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

These verses really hit home with me, actually made my heart feel sorrow for our loved ones who choose to fill thier minds with “junk.” Focusing more on the negatives in life than the positives. By doing this we loose the gift of spiritual vision.

Spiritual vision is our capacity to see clearly what God wants us to do and to see the world from his point of view. But this spiritual insight can be easily clouded. Self-serving desires, interests, and goals block that vision. Serving God is the best way to restore it. A “good” eye is one that is fixed on God.

As a believer and a follower of Christ, I realize the supreme value of maintaing spiritual vision. I am going to make this a priority in my life and hope that you will be encouraged to as well.

Social media typically serves as an avenue for people to post “highlight reels”. Pictures and posts that feature all the good things going on in a person’s life. Rarely do we see the full story…

That just doesn’t feel right to me, today in particular. As most of you know, I have a desire to work in women’s ministry full time. I am woman with a deep personal relationship with Jesus, thus, I KNOW that He never causes his children unnecessary pain. I believe with every fiber of my being that there is purpose in the incredible heartbreak and disappointment I feel today. God will use it, He will use me and my story to help another at some point down the road. My pain will serve a purpose …

Exactly four months ago today, I discovered my marriage was a lie. I was, and still am, absolutely blindsided by what I have learned and although my divorce papers arrived today, my heart truly feels overwhelmed with disbelief and sorrow. I would be a hypocrite to pretend that I felt any other way.

Despite the pain, I DO know that my life is in the hands of the One who knows what is best for me. He has plans to prosper me, not to harm me, to give me a hope and a future. So to my dear friends that are followers of Christ, I humbly ask that you lift both my ex-husband and I up in prayer today and ask God to begin the healing and restoration that only He can do.

Times of trial can be looked at as periods of refining, perfecting us into the person we were created to be. That sounds great but how do we realistically live this statement out in our daily lives?

I am reading the book, Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan. The purpose of the book is to provide Christians 10 biblically based strategies to help us get through times of trial in our lives. I am loving this book and have found it extremely helpful in navigating through the most painful and challenging season of life to date.

Red Sea Rule #5: In times of trial, stay calm and confident and give God time to work

In today’s podcast, I share how Red Sea Rule #5: Stay calm and confident and give God time to work,” has provided strength when I needed it most. In following the steps outlined in this chapter, I have been able to take my eyes off my problem and instead, focus on My God, my problem solver. Making this intentional shift has allowed me to finally, move beyond the pain and disappointment of yesterday. Now, I am finding joy, excitement and anticipation in what lies ahead in the beautiful tapestry of my life that My God is weaving just for me.

Key points:

Dwelling on our problems will create anxiety and steal our peace.

Emotions and feelings are fickle and do not represent the truth.

Maturity can be described as the ability to keep one’s passions under control.

From adults, we expect a maturity that says, Don’t trust your emotions and NEVER be controlled by them.

Our God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine.

When we give our troubles to God, and get out of His way, He will fight our battles for us. He is our “best bet” because he is ALWAYS victorious!

Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself and enables one to stand still. We gain nothing by our restless and anxious efforts…It is therefore true wisdom in all times of difficulty and perplexity to stand still – to wait only upon God; and He will assuredly open a way for us…

“Pride is a slippery sin” ~Leslie Vernick

How can we resist pride in our lives? By intentionally turning away from selfishness and leaning closer to God.

There are two paths to choose from in life:

A path that seeks to experience joy and happiness by loving and serving others, or

A path that pursues instant gratification and fulfillment of selfish desires with little concern to how those desires affect the people around us

Despite what is considered to be true by prideful or self-righteous people, the right, best and most blessed path is one pursued with honesty and compassion. We have been given divine instructions to “In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” Which path will you choose?

“My name is Pride. I am a cheater.I cheat you of your God-given destiny…becauseyou demand your own way.I cheat you of contentment…because you“deserve better than this.”I cheat you of knowledge…because you alreadyknow it all.I cheat you of healing…because you’retoo full of me to forgive.I cheat you of holiness…because you refuse toadmit when you’re wrong.I cheat you of vision…because you’d rather lookin the mirror than out a window.I cheat you of a genuine friendship…becausenobody’s going to know the real you.I cheat you of love…because real romancedemands sacrifice.I cheat you of greatness in heaven…because yourefuse to wash another’s feet on earth.I cheat you of God’s glory…because I convinceyou to seek your own.My name is Pride. I am a cheater.You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you. Untrue. I’m looking to make a fool of you.God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…If you stick with meYou’ll never know.”

When it comes to having faith and trusting God in our daily lives, do we REALLY trust Him?

What is the difference between saying we trust God and truly living that faith out as we walk through different circumstances?

My faith waivered when I encountered a rather challenging obstacle in my personal life yesterday. At first, I allowed my lack of control and fear of “what if’s” to rob me of my peace and send my emotions into overdrive. Thank God, literally, for being my constant source of encouragement and guidance He provides in His Word.

Learn how one of my favorite scriptures from the book of Hebrews calmed my worries and reminded me of who I am, a beloved child of God. Which means, God is for me and in control of everything that concerns me. What a wonderful truth to keep close to our hearts and give us the courage and confidence to step out in faith, BOLD faith, and trust Him to work everything for our good regardless of how “hopeless” our situations seems.

Contour makeup workshop will be held in Roswell, Georgia on Saturday January 21, 2017. Limited to 6 attendees

Contouring is a popular makeup trend and my most requested makeup service. In this 90 minute workshop, you will learn the key concept of contouring, how to use light and dark to accentuate or minimize facial features and create flattering and sophisticated makeup looks.

While this is not a hands-on lesson, attendees will learn by observing demonstration of contour and highlight techniques on model and receive handouts to take home outlining the key concepts of using light and dark to change facial structure and features.

As many of you know, I am going through a painful divorce. Over the last two months I have shared my sadness and disappointment in the demise of the relationship with my husband. In all honesty, I have never felt emotions as deep and painful as I have in my current season of life. In today’s podcast I share how I am finding comfort through the most excruciating pain I have ever known.

As believers, we should never be in despair because our hope is in Jesus Christ . If we feel ourselves headed toward feelings of despair, we need to remind ourselves of who we are – chosen, beloved children of God. valued higher than anything on earth!

Essentially, despair = disbelief, feelings that are driven by fear. An unbelief that God can or will take care of us. The word for despair in the original text of the bible is exaporeō (Pronunciation: eks-ä-po-re’-ō). In bibical usage despair/exaporeō means to be utterly at loss, be utterly destitute of measures or resources, to renounce all hope, be in despair. We can find encouragement when we look to God as our refuge in times of trouble because perfect love casts out all fear.

In this painful time, I am looking to God as my refuge. A quick search in my Bible reveals 93 occurrences of the use of refuge in scripture. Below is a list of some of my favorite scriptures encouraging us to seek refuge in our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 91:4 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 34:8 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 18:2 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 31:19 19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.

Psalm 62:8 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 119:114 114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Psalm 57:1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

Nahum 1:7 7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

Psalm 17:7 7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

True joy is found in our relationship with Christ.

The scriptures above have provided a great deal of encouragement to me in recent weeks. Despite my close personal relationship with God, it has been challenging to remain joyful while learning the details of the betrayal and infidelity in my marriage. However, reading this letter written by the apostle Paul during imprisonment, gave me a more optimistic perspective on my current situation.

Joy is the dominant theme in Paul’s letter. The secret of his joy is grounded in his relationship with Christ. All of us want to be happy however, when we look to other people, things or circumstances to make us happy we set ourselves up for failure. We live in a fallen world where success is measured by how many “followers” we have, how we look and how many things or how much money we have. No wonder it is so easy to get discouraged, to lose sight of our true purpose on this earth as children of God!

As believers, we can have peace and contentment in life regardless of our circumstances. This joy comes from knowing Christ and from depending on HIS strength rather than our own. Unlike happiness, joy runs deeper into our souls – it is much more powerful. Joy is a confident assurance of God’s great love for us. It is the knowledge, trust and BELIEF that He is ALWAYS with us and will NEVER leave us. Even though we may not always “see”, “hear” or “feel” Him, we have zero doubt that He is at work in our lives. We KNOW that He works ALL THINGS for the good of those who love Him.

Where happiness is dependent upon happenings our joy depends solely on Jesus Christ

That means believers can have joy, even in hardship because it doesn’t come from outward circumstances but from Christ within us.

I love how Paul uses winning a race as a metaphor for Christian living. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must focus all our energy toward winning the race. This serves as a reminder to me that nothing should ever distract me from my goal to not only know Christ personally but to also trust Him with my life.

The Message version of the bible provides my favorite translation of these two scriptures. The author’s choice of words not only convey an absolute confidence in Christ but something even more exciting. An almost giddy sense of anticipation for the glorious things to come in the future. That my friend, is a beautiful truth that I cling to in times of trial…True joy is so much more that what we will ever see or experience with respect to worldly living!

Philippians 3:13-14 The Message (MSG)

Focused on the Goal 12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

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